Eastern Washington University
EWU Army ROTC is please to announce that incoming transfer student Mykenzie Belliotti has been awarded a scholarship to Eastern worth over $90,000. Welcome to our Fighting Eagles 🦅 team! Read more about MyKenzie at the Instagram post below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEnC-nzhqbe/
In this 1981 archive image, the former Professor of Military Science at Eastern Washington University, Lieutenant Colonel, Thomas Coonelly looks at and gives a big smile to a Cadet while checking a radio. If any alumni have any stories to share about LTC Coonelly please share them in the comments section.
Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!
The Army has 17 different branches for Cadets to compete for. Being selected into one of the branches is the culmination of an assessment process that begins from the very first day a Cadet enters the ROTC program. Beginning with Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 the U.S. Army has implemented a new system to branch Cadets from its 274 ROTC programs across the country. The Army calls the new system Talent Based Branching.
The prior accessions process ranked all Cadets across the nation based off of factors such as their GPA, physical fitness test score, Advanced Camp performance, volunteer work, Color Guard participation, Ranger Challenge team, etc. During the beginning of their senior year, Cadets ranked in order of preference which of the 17 branches in the Army they want to assess into. The Army’s accessions process then uses the various factors mentioned to help decide which branch they will receive.
With Talent Based Branching, all these prior factors are still considered. The below FY21 chart shows the importance each of these factors has on how Cadets rank in the national Order of Merit List (OML).
Before the OML score is was what largely determined what branch a Cadet received; with Talent Based Branching, Cadets will also have the opportunity to interview with the branches they are interested in. The opportunity to interview each Cadet will allow the branches to learn more about each applicant to better inform branching decisions besides looking at an OML score. After the interview process the branches will then rank order their Cadet preferences. The below graphics show a simple explanation of how the process will work.
Talent Based Branching is a brand new system for accessing Army ROTC Cadets that will likely see modifications as it is implemented. The ultimate goal of it will remain the same which is allowing Cadets to have more of a say in what branches they access into. At EWU Army ROTC we remain committed to informing our Cadets of all the latest information in the Talent Based Branching process. If anyone has any questions about Talent Based Branching please leave a comment below and we will do our best to answer it.
Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Advanced Camp training that generally third year Army ROTC Cadets attend was cancelled this summer. The annual training Cadets that go through at Advanced Camp will instead be made up during the school year by individual ROTC programs. However, the cancellation of Advanced Camp along with the implementing of the new branching process has caused many changes to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 accessions timeline. The below chart shows the latest information on the FY2021 Accessions Timeline. This timeline applies only to Cadets who are commissioning in FY2021. MS-IV Cadets that commission in FY22 are expected to attend Advanced Camp and receive an updated accessions timeline.
Upcoming Key Dates:
Interviews
From 20 July-07 September, Cadets branching in FY21 need to be conducting their interviews with the branches they are interested in over the HireVue app. Any Cadet that has not received an email from HireVue needs to immediately contact their HRA. The branches will view the HireVue interviews and then contact Cadets for follow up interviews. These interviews are extremely important in the branching process and Cadets need to take them seriously. Make sure you either wear your uniform or dress formally for the interview. Ensure you shave, get a haircut, and groom yourself appropriately. You only have one chance to make a good first impression!
Component Selection
By August 31, 2020 all Cadets will need to submit to their HRA what their final component choice is. By component this means whether you want to go on Active Duty or be part of the National Guard or Army Reserves. Cadets that are on a Guaranteed Forces Duty (GRFD) scholarship must access into either the National Guard or Army Reserves as specified in the scholarship contract. On October 18, 2020 is when accessing Cadets will learn will component they accessed into. The below chart provides details on how the component selection process works.
Branching
By September 07, 2020 is when Cadets must have their interim branch preferences submitted to their HRA and Cadets must also update their branch preferences on the Talent Based Branching (TBB) website as well. Cadets must also specify on the TBB website whether they want to submit a Branch Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) for the branches they are interested in. Cadets can now submit as many Branch ADSO’s as they want. What the ADSO does is move the Cadet to the top of the bin that the branch has rated the cadet. Each branch gives Cadets either a “Least Preferred”, “Preferred”, or “Most Preferred” rating. The ADSO does not allow Cadets to jump bins, it just puts the Cadet at the top of their rated bin.
Cadets also volunteer for branch detail assignments through the TBB website as well. A branch detail means you serve in one branch for your lieutenant years before transitioning into another branch when promoted to Captain. Volunteering for a branch detail can increase your odds of receiving a high demand branch. Cadets have until September 07, 2020 to update the TBB website with ADSO and Branch Detail preferences
On October 19, 2020 all accessing Cadets will receive their branch ratings through the TBB website. Cadets can then use these preferences to inform their final branching decision. For example if a Cadet has Infantry initially ranked #1 and Armor #2, but Infantry gave the Cadet a “preferred” rating and Armor gave a “most preferred” rating; the Cadet has the opportunity to change Armor to #1 to ensure they branch armor. Any changes to Cadet branch preferences based off of the interim branch preferences need to be made by October 26, 2020. For Cadets who are commissioning in the Fall 2020 term they will receive their final branching assignment on November 20, 2020 and Cadets commissioning in the Spring 2021 term will receive their branch assignment on December 02, 2020.
Good luck to all the FY21 Cadets going through the new branching process. If anyone has any questions regardless of which ROTC program they belong to, feel free to leave a comment and we will get back to you with a response.
Go ROTC! Go Fighting Eags!
2019 Eastern Washington University (EWU) graduate 2nd Lieutenant (2LT) Haley Isaacson became the first reported alum from the university’s Army ROTC program to be awarded the Expert Soldier Badge during testing held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington.
In effort to improve the tactical skills of Soldiers and increase individual and unit readiness, the U.S. Army in Fall 2019 created the new Expert Solider Badge (ESB). To qualify to take the ESB test, Soldiers must first pass the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), qualify “Expert” on the M4 or M16 rifle, and be recommended by their chain of command. During the five day test the participants have to again take the ACFT, conduct day & night land navigation courses, and be tested on their Warrior Tasks and Drills that include:
After completing the Warrior and Tasks and drill testing, the participants then need to complete a 12-mile ruck march in under 3 hours. Standards for the ESB are age and gender neutral. In October 2019, the Army conducted its first ESB testing where only 11 of 56 soldiers passed. During testing in November 2019 only 3 out of 100 soldiers passed which demonstrates the difficulty of receiving this badge. During June 2020 testing at JBLM, 2LT Isaacson was one of only 39 soldiers at JBLM to pass the test held at JBLM from June 22-26. Major General Xavier T. Brunson and Command Sergeant Major Robin Bolmer, the 7th Infantry Division Command team recognized all the competitors that earned their badge during an award ceremony.
2LT Isaacson was a Distinguished Military Graduate from EWU’s Army ROTC program in 2019. She currently serves as a Military Intelligence officer in the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team at JBLM. Here is what 2LT Isaacson had to say when asked about any advice she would like to give to EWU Army ROTC Cadets interested in competing for the Expert Soldier Badge in the future:
The ESB is something that challenges you physically and mentally with its 34 stations and a final 12-mile ruck march. It is something that you should go after early in your career to set you apart from your peers. You get the chance to train alongside infantry personnel who are competing for the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) where about 80% of the ESB stations are the same. It is a unique experience to work with soldiers you don’t work with on a day to day basis. Receiving this is very rewarding especially when you’ve been training for it for about a month.
Hard work pays off, Go Eags🦅!
EWU Army ROTC congratulates 2LT Isaacson on her accomplishment. She has definitely shown that she is Eagle Strong!
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